


Knitting

by Frederbee



Series: A Little Domestic [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Crap Telly, Gen, Knitting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 07:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frederbee/pseuds/Frederbee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Watson takes up a supposedly soothing hobby upon being invalided.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knitting

**Author's Note:**

> "In the nineteeth century, knitting was prescribed to women as a cure for nervousness and hysteria. Many new knitters find this sort of hard to believe because, until you get good at it, knitting seems to cause those ailments." -Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

It started with another soldier; a young man sharing his room at the military hospital during those first, painful weeks back from Afghanistan. One broken soldier lobbed a ball of yarn at the other's head. And while waiting for skin and muscle to knit, so too did the good doctor.  
Well, at the very least, he bloody well _tried._

"Damn, there's only 26, I had 30."

"Give over."

"Fine. Who taught you, anyway?"

"Therapist. Older bloke. Said I might find it soothing. I used to watch my nan knit, so I guess that's why I picked it up well enough. There we go, found your lost stitches."

"Soothing my ass. This is frustrating."

"Then quit."

"The hell I will. I will not be beaten by a ball of yarn."

Then he was discharged, told to blog and the plastic needles and yarn got tucked into the back of his closet, barely 7 inches done. And some time after that, there was a consulting detective, and running and excitement, and really, who finds time to knit with THAT going on?  
Then the days of watching crap telly and not working came along.

-

After spending some time with Mrs Hudson, watching Eastenders and Coronation Street, John couldn't help but be envious of the way the dear landlady could fly through rows, neat and even, without even looking. And so he fetched out the aborted scarf, feeling guilty for neglecting it, and set to finish the thing, with her patient help.

"Damn it, there's 33 now. Mrs Hudson, please..."

"Don't worry dear, you're still learning. Just a minute, I'll have it right as rain."

"Thank you Mrs Hudson, you're a saint."

Inch by inch for nearly a year, the scarf grew to be twice and half again as long as his arm, and when Mrs Hudson finally showed him how to bind off, he couldn't help but be absurdly proud of the thing.

"Good lord, it's hideous."

"Don't you worry about that, it's a good first try."

"Scratch that, mostly hideous. There are these nice bits that you must've put."

"I most certainly did not!"

She did.

"Ah yes, the knitting faeries then. Nice of them to put a few not crap rows for me when I sleep."

"Whatever you say dear."

**Author's Note:**

> I was looking into knitting a John Jumper for myself and spent the better part of two weeks trying to learn how to cable properly. I calmed myself by imagining someone else trying to learn to knit. I'm rather convinced John would swear like a pirate if he took up this hobby XD


End file.
